Suture and ligature container.



No. 889,361. PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908.

H. AfPLANDBRS.

SUTURE AND LIGATURE CONTAINER. API-LIGATION FILED JAN. 12, 1906.

WITNESISES: [NVE/V R W Q 14m-4Q. 044M, 011

rue MORRIS PETERS 06., WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

HOWARD A. FLANDERS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE RANDALL-FAICHNEY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA-CHUSETTS.

SUTURE AND LIGATURE CONTAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1908.

Application filed January 12, 1906. Serial No. 295,789.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD A. FLANDERS, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Suture and Ligature Containers, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to transparent aseptic holders for surgicalappliances, such as sutures, ligatures, needles, and similarinstruments. It is the common practise to inclose these articles inhermetically sealed glass tubes or holders containing a body of alcoholor other aseptic fluid, in which the suture or ligature is immersed. Asthere are different'sizes, kinds, and grades of these devices, and as itis important that the surgeon should be able to quickly select a holdercontaining the particular style of appliance that he wishes to use, itis important that means, be provided for clearly marking each holder,

to designate the quality or variety of its contents. Printed paperlabels have heretofore been used, the label being inserted in theholder, so that it is in contact with the fluid and the appliancecontained in the tube. The employment of such labels is open to certainobjections, the principal one of which is that the label is liable tocontaminate the contents of the holder unless absolutely sterilized, andeven with the most careful sterilization, there is difficulty insecuring absolute freedom from contamination. It is not racticable tosecure a paper or erasable label to the exterior of the holder, becausethe holder has to be externally sterilized before it is opened to permitthe removal of its contents; hence an externally attached label would beliable to be displaced by such sterilizing process.

My invention has for its object to provide a container of this characterwhich is marked indelibly and irremovably, to indicate the contents insuch manner that there is absolute freedom (a) from liability ofcontamination of the contents, and (b) from danger of removing the markby the operation of sterilizing the external surface of the holder.

To this end, my invention consists in a suture, ligature, or surgicalinstrument container, comprising a transparent tube hav ing on itsexternal surface suitable descri tive characters indelibly applied,preferab y by an etching process when the container is made of glass,the etching chemical biting into the smooth surface of the glass, andleaving lines of a whitish color, like that of ground glass, whichcontrasts with the contents of the tube, and is entirely legible. Or themarking may comprise lines so deeply ,cut that they may be filled in, ifdesired, with some opaque pigment or compound. The tube thus marked canbe externally sterilized without affecting the markings.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification,Figure 1 represents a side View of a suture or ligaturecontainer marked in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 represents asection on line 22 of Fig. 1.

' The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings,a represents a container, here shown as a glass tube,Which contains a surgical appliance, such as a suture or ligature I),this a pliance being disposed in an elongated coil within the container.The appliance b and a quantity of absolute alc0-. ho are placed in thetube while one end is open, the tube being then hermetically sealed byclosing the other end.

In carrying out my invention, I indelibly mark the external surface ofthe container, to describe its contents. This marking is preferablyeffected by an etching process, a suitable acid being applied to glassin such manner as to form the desired characters, the acid eating intothe surface of the glass sufficiently to render the lines indelible andcause them to contrast with the surrounding glass andwith the contentsof the container. In the embodiment of my invention here shown, themarkings consist of the words chrom-catgut together with a numeralindicating the number or size of the appliance in the container.

It will be seen that the container above described contains no foreignmatter liable to Y afiect the contents, and is indelibly marked so thatthere can be no doubt as to the kind or quality of appliance within thecontainer, the marking being of such nature that it is not affected bythe process of externally sterilizing the container.

It is obvious that the described improvement may be used in connectionwith containers of various forms,for instance, those that are employedto hold a suture or ligature to Which a curved needle is applied, thecontainer being curved to conform to the curvature of the needle.

The term ap liance as hereinbefore used may be consic ered as referringeither to the class of articles technically known as surgical apliances, said class including'sutures and igatures, or to the class ofarticles technically known as surgical instruments, the latter classincluding needles.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a her- -metically closed transparentpackage containing a surgical appliance in fluid and provided WitheXterna indelible characters descriptive of the nature of the applianceand the size thereof.

2. As an article of manufacture, a transparent package havinghermetically closed ends and containing a surgical appliance in fluidand having its exterior surface etched to provide indelible charactersdescriptive of the nature of the appliance and the size thereof.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my 2;

